


Gleaming Star

by Royswordsman (RoySwordsman)



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Captain America, Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Comic), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-12-22 20:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoySwordsman/pseuds/Royswordsman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark has lost his co-pilot, and now it's up to Steve Rogers to step up. The problem is, are they drift compatible?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gleaming Star

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually meant to be a drabble, which is why it's so choppy and short. And I got far too carried away but I wanted to stick to the 3500 word limit which is why it may seem a little abrupt!

It was the first category 4 Kaiju that had hit New York City, emerging from the corner of Liberty Island and using its strength to crawl toward the city. Before it even reached the centre, there he was – Gleaming Star, in all of its glory. The huge mark 1 model Jeager with chrome blue overcoat stood in the path of the creature.   

Inside Gleaming Star were the two pilots; Captain Steve Rogers and Sgt James Buchannan Barnes. The two were famed among America for their drift; being one of the most synchronised that had been known. The two were nothing but compatible with one another. Both with their previous backgrounds in the military, their discipline and practice proved useful in battle.

“You ready Buck?”

“We got this, Cap.” The snarky co-pilot replied.

Quickly they moved together, raising their arms and swinging a left hook which smacked the Kaiju square in the face. The creature roared with intensity, spitting out fluorescent blue acid.

Gleaming Star lifted its arm,

“Shield!” Steve commanded from inside the robot.

A large silver knife shot out from Gleaming Star’s arm, and then spread out like a fan until it was a complete circle; a huge round fortified platinum shield with a serrated blade, quickly intercepting the spit of acid that came hurling toward it. It fizzed and burned the shield, deforming it slightly but the two used the shield to knock the Kaiju back into the water. They pushed their feet down on the pedals in sync, walking and then picking up the pace to a steady run, leaping at the beast and punching it down into the water. Though something told Cap that this wasn’t going to be as easy as the ones they had taken down in the past. 

The Kaiju whipped around its tail, smacking the bot back into the water with a powerful strike. Bucky and Steve winced in agony as they tried to get their Jaeger back onto its feet, the metal groaning as they did.

Then there it came, a second Kaiju leaped up from behind them and tore at the left arm of the bot, the side that Bucky was controlling.

“My arm!” He screamed in pain, feeling the claw of the monster dig into it. Bucky’s scream made Steve’s body shudder as he stared over in panic, trying to remain as focused as he could. One of the Kaiju spread its huge wings, frantically Steve was trying to move his arm and kick away but the way that the second ripped into the star shaped power reactor in the front made manuvering away almost impossible.

He noticed the Jeager stumble and then topple over, only for the Kaiju to crawl on top of it, but Steve wasn’t out just yet. Whilst Bucky clutched is arm with agony Steve used the shield, “Throw!” He yelled and made the motion, the arm of the blue robot going backward to gain momentum before throwing it forward and cutting the Kaiju clean in half horizontally. It was the second that was the problem. It spread its arms and large bat like wings accompanying the movement with a loud high pitched squeak and grappled its talons over the flailing arm of the Jaeger. It’s vice like grip lifted the bot up from the water, leaving a trail of water as the huge body was lifted.

Bucky was trying to compose himself, but the huge wound was proving difficult, nonetheless he managed to push through and try and help Steve wriggle from the beasts grip, but to no avail. As they were raised higher and higher the oxygen levels began to deplete. Warning lights flashed everywhere as the two were lifted, both suffering from the earlier injuries that the Jaeger had accumulated, trying to remain calm but internally feeling the panic that they were both enduring. With a swift movement the Kaiju swung the Jeager down, it picked up momentum, the heat tearing off the metal and wearing it down before it crashed into the Atlantic. The last thing Steve saw flash before him was his life, Bucky’s life, the fear, the helplessness and then nothing at all.

 ***

Tony Stark was a scientist who had grown up around Jaegers, examining them and learning how to build them. He worked for Nick Fury in what they had deemed as the ‘resistance’. He wasn’t meant to be a pilot, far from it. He was meant to stay in the lab, but the born billionaire was never one for sticking to the rules. But he had helped build a Jaeger and decided that he and his best friend, James Rhodes would be the ones controlling it. With few restrictions tech wise, he went ahead and became a rockstar among men. He and his co-pilot were famed for their amazing precision and agility in their bot – Strike Knight. It was kitted out to perfection and made a name for itself being the Jaeger with the biggest arsenal, equipped with lasers and a huge arc reactor in the middle of the bot.   

The category 5 Kaijus were surfacing at a rapid rate and each assault became more and more brutal. It was in a huge battle with 3 Kaijus in Florida that Tony’s co-pilot was severely injured; taking a Kaiju tooth to the chest, luckily for them, Tony used a new AI that he had programmed to help take over from Rhodey. Though it was a prototype, and didn’t hold up as well as he wanted to. But it barely managed to get him out alive. Straight away returning to the SHIELD headquarters and docking, then getting Rhodey seen to. He was rushed to the emergency room to be treated, but it was the first time that an injured Jaeger pilot that was near death managed to come back alive, so Tony was counting his blessings at the time, especially since on that particular mission they had lost two Jaegers.

In a furious mood, a couple of days after their defeat, Tony sat in the dining hall of HQ, his fork digging into the mash potatoes before sculpting it. It wasn’t fair that the others were allowed to go on missions when he was stranded, all because Fury was taking so long to find a candidate. This was exactly why Tony was working on his AI to do it all solo, but nothing seemed to work. It was just too much for him to handle, although he’d never admit that. He was supposed to be a god of technology, especially with that serum he injected into himself to be one with technology, to be able to communicate with it; Extremis. That was why Fury allowed him to be a pilot, because he had something special about him. His genius intellect and expertise were clearly not the only thing that Fury was interested, but those qualities made him extremely difficult to drift with. Especially since he now had that serum in him, the only reason that him and Rhodey had managed to drift so well was after much practice, which given the current Kaiju situation, was not an option. They needed to find someone, and fast, which was why Tony was so angry.

He pushed the potatoes one side, trying to form some sort of structure when the doors opened and a tall blonde man dressed in casual blue jumpsuit walked through, looking around curiously. This was the guy he’d heard about before, the pilot that had been trapped in the ice for years when the Kaiju had thrown him and his Jaeger into the ocean, only to be discovered recently during an excavation mission. Though strangely enough, there were no signs of his co-pilots body, presumed dead.

Tony stared up with fascination, almost disbelief that this man survived decades frozen in ice.

“Hey, you!” Tony said as he stood up. Steve turned his head and arched his sharp eyebrow in question as he walked toward the dinner trays, taking one in his hands. He could feel the eyes of the different crews bearing into him from behind. “Hey! New guy!” Tony called again. This time Steve turned to face him properly with the tray in his hand. Beautifully chiselled features, sharp cheek bones and a sturdy jaw line as well as those icy blue eyes that caught Tony’s attention right away. He was sure he could feel his heart flutter the moment he caught them.

Steve walked up to him, “Yes?” He asked, standing with his head held high, chest out with pride showing off the white star at the centre of his uniform.

“You’re Steve Rogers huh? That ol’ pilot?”

“I am... And you are?”

“Tony Stark.” He said, offering out his hand, “You should be honoured.”

Steve gave him a sturdy handshake. “Ah, so you’re my co-pilot.”

“What!?” Tony said straight away, “There’s no way. Listen, Fury said he’d let me have input but there is no way in hell that I’ll be able to drift with some old geezer. Don’t get me wrong, I respect your experience pal, but things have changed a hell of a lot since you were piloting. Hell, do you even know how to use these? My old man changed the system from nuclear to electric wayyy after you were thrown into the ice pal.”

“Call me a quick study.” Steve replied with confidence. “See you on the test run.”

“You’re not going to sit and eat here?”

“Nah, I’ve got some catching up to do.” Steve replied with a salute as he headed out.

For once, Tony was left speechless. Was someone actually rejecting his invite to sit there next to him? And secondly, this guy, a guy that he’d admired as a kid was now going to be his co-pilot. But he’d never really admit that. Tony was supposed to be this untameable character and this fella just came along and managed to put him in his place in a matter of moments.

 ***

There it was waiting for them; Gleaming Star, with a few adjustments courtesy of Tony Stark. It was a pleasure for him to work on such an old machine, but he changed the star – the main reactor of the machine and replaced it with one he personally designed. If he was going to use this old heap of junk as he so eloquently put it, then he’d make sure it was an awesome piece of junk.

When Steve came for inspection he stared at it, unsure whether he liked the changes, but this new world seemed full of changes. And full of danger, so he needed to do anything he could to protect the people that he’d left in the dark for so many years.

Tony waited that day until they were going for their test run, all suited up. The spinal clamp adjusted, pons in place and slowly the relay gel began to fill then drain down the rest of their matching white suits. Both had the American flag on their arm, both with a large circle with a star in the middle.

Tony was so eager for this, ever since seeing this guy and the way he carried himself. He seemed so strong, but only time would tell.

The neural handshake was initiated, and the drift began. The mesh of Tony and Steve’s memories began, and then the snap back to reality. They moved their arms as a test as the crews stood and watched the machine move in awe.

“Stay focused.” Steve said.

“Don’t tell me what to do, I know what I’m doing old man.”

“I’m trying to help... Your minds... Pretty scattered.”

“Don’t...” He shut his eyes, going deep into not only Steve’s memories, but his own, spotting certain similarities with their father figure and then their struggles. It was when Steve was sorting through the memories that he was hit. His eyes widening as he could feel his body sinking into the water, reaching up but being trapped in the Jaeger. Watching his best friend float away, carried away by the strong current leaving a trail of floating crimson where his arm once was. He seemed so lost for that moment, his heart felt heavy with grief.

“God dammit” Fury yelled from the observation room, glancing over to Reed who was frantically typing away with T’Challa trying to measure the vital signs that seemed to be going in all sorts.

“We thought they would be compatible... They both have the serum, well, Tony has a variation of the super soldier serum, that’s essentially what Extremis is...” Reed muttered out loud.

“I believe we need to give Mr Stark more credit.” T’Challa replied calmly.

“Give Stark the benefit of the doubt? That’s not gone in our favour, not since Rhodes...” Fury commented.

“Steve..? Steve!” Tony yelled back, “Snap out of it, listen to me!”

Steve’s eyes were widened as he could feel himself falling, deeper and deeper into his memory. After all of that, it was him that was the one unable to grab a focus.

Tony’s mind was melded with Steve’s so of course he could see what was going on. He appeared in it, reaching his hand out to Steve. “Steve, snap out of it... Come on!” He pleaded, unable to witness his hero, his once hero falling like this.  

Steve’s memory gazed up, locks of blonde hair breaching the cracks in the helmet. Tony reached forward, grabbing Steve’s hand and yanking him up quickly, snapping back into reality.

The blonde Captain gasped for air then looked at Tony, panting. The dark haired man looked back, tilting his head back  with relief.

Steve mouthed the words, “Thank you...” To him, only to get a shortened smile and a nod from Tony. The billionaire could feel his cheeks heating up, maybe it was the way their memories intertwined, the fact that their drift went so well despite being their first, that made his heart skip a beat.

The alarms sounded in the base, “Incoming Kaiju alert.”

“Damn, 4 hours early.” Tony cursed Hank’s calculations.

“We’re already in this thing, what say we take it.”

“I like the way you think.”

“Well, our minds are drifting, after all.” Steve said with a smirk, the doors opening as they were hooked on by transport, that slowly carried them out.

They were dropped into the sea, where another bear-looking Kaiju was lurking, ready to strike Cuba.

Gleaming Star walked toward it as Steve and Tony moved in sync, moving a step at a time before reaching the bear creature, nicknamed ‘Kuma’.

“Never seen this category before...” Steve said in awe before activating the shield. “We’re going to have to take it down.”

Tony grinned at the prospect, “That’s right.” He said firmly, swinging his arm and battering Kuma down with a powerful strike. Steve was taken aback by the hit being so strong.

“Whoa, you’ve changed her...”

“Vibranium, she’s great right?”

“Reminds me of the one I used to carry... Back in the army.”

Tony grinned, “Damn straight, you know I know about Captain America.”

“Such a fanboy.” Steve said with a chuckle as they punched the Kaiju down, only for it to get to its feet and spread its huge claws, scratching at the Jaeger and tearing at the metal with a powerful strike. The scream of metal made Tony instantly cringe, and quickly as it moved forward they both looked at one another and then threw their elbows back so the suit did the same. The moment it did, it shot out a large white repulsor beam from the centre of its chest in the shape of the star. The Kaiju was shot through the chest but continued to try and slash at the Jaeger. Again they used the serrated shield edge to cut at one of the claws that came their way. They moved so in sync, the compatibility was amazing, none like they had ever felt before. They say that the stronger the drift the more powerful the Jaeger, in this case it was true. They moved so well, and they’d managed to incorporate the agile movement of Tony’s bot into Steve’s. In fact, it wasn’t belonging to either single entity, it was now collectively theirs.

A left jab, then an uppercut followed by a slam into the ground, the sea parting upon impact before covering up the corpse that was soon to be picked apart by black market vultures and scientists. They checked for a pulse and for that moment of silence their hearts raced in sync, then confirmation came up on the screen. Steve and Tony both fist pumped, whether that was one of Tony’s mannerisms or one of Steve’s secret quirks was another question.

 

They were greeted with cheers. Tony held his arms up in pride, soaking in the sweet taste of victory whilst Steve took a more humble approach, although his grin was beaming with pride, and the way he held his chin up he felt so happy. It was a slick, quick victory. One that he would’ve struggled with in the past but now with the new mods and the way they moved together in harmony made Steve feel as though he’d achieved much more than just defeating a beast and saving thousands. He’d gained a partner.

“I knew you two would both get along.” Reed replied as he waved his overstretched arms in the air, “My theories indicated as you both had the serum-“

“Let them enjoy their moment, Doctor.” Fury said as he stood behind the crowd with his arms folded.

As Tony waved to the crowd he walked towards his quarters, but to his surprise Steve moved with him and walked into the room with him, shutting the large steel door behind him and cupping the billionaires face, pushing him into the wall and planting a deep kiss on his lips.

Tony gasped and his bright blue eyes widened, his still armoured hands wrapped around Steve’s broad shoulders.

“God... You feel it too?”

“That connection...” Steve said with a nod. “You’ve... I’ve been your hero huh?” He said, out of breath.

Tony blushed brightly, “Don’t get too cocky. I loved Cap, as a kid.”

Steve smirked, knowing after delving into Tony’s mind that he still had that admiration, his body pushed up against the smaller frame.

“Steve... We should talk, properly...”

“I know what you want to talk about. Rhodey right, your co-pilot, what’ll happen to him when he recovers?”

“Yeah, this, this isn’t permanent. I don’t want to leave Rhodey behind. I know your pain, the concern you have since... You well... lost a guy.” Steve cringed to the word, but Tony took a breath and carried on “But I know Fury will sort it out, in the mean time that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about actually. What I wanted to talk about was the fact that you’ve missed a lot in life. And when we drift... You can catch up. I know it’s not the same, but it’s just a suggestion. We won’t get stuck in each others memories, we’re both professionals but...”

“Are you offering your memories to me? Tony I... You know I can’t but... Thank you... And this, this is for saving me.” He pressed another kiss to his lips, this time with more emotion, glad that Tony was understanding. This rockstar personality that Steve had heard about was mainly a facade or a pure mistaken gesture – it was confidence, and it was what made Tony strong. There was a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and arguably Tony was confident, not arrogant. But pilots had this mutual respect for each other’s memories, and each other’s privacy, that’s what made them stronger. That’s why there was this no-go rule about ‘sharing’ memories, but the offer was enough to make Steve appreciate Tony much more.

But they had a connection, a bond. It was strange, as though they’d met before. But for now, they didn’t question it.

Steve pulled back slightly; admiring the man who he personally thought was stunning. There was something about his confidence, his mind, the fact that he equipped those suits. And not to mention his memories – the fact that Cap was his hero was just icing on the cake. Dark hair, a perfectly trimmed goatee, dark blue eyes that dazzled with admiration.

“But for now... I’m your co pilot.” Steve said softly.

“You know what, Steve, I’m looking forward to it. To working with you more, that is.”

Steve smiled smugly, his hand trailing down Tony’s armoured chest before pulling back. “I’m looking forward to it too. My rooms always free, if you need to talk.”

“Yeah, talk.” Tony chuckled.

“See you around, Stark.”

“You too, Captain.”

It was just the first mission, and they’d both come back alive. They knew from there that there was much more to come, especially since the category 5 Kaiju were becoming more and more frequent. 


End file.
